AJA slams ABC “bias”
The Australian Jewish Association has slammed the ABC following its TV news report on the weekend’s rocket and mortar attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliation.
In a media release which they also published on their Facebook page, the AJA wrote:
David Adler
‘The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) is appalled at the way the lead item on the ABC’s Sunday morning news program misrepresented events in Israel and in the Gaza Strip.
The facts are that in a period of 24 hours (Fri/Sat in Israel), Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched over 170 rockets and mortars at Israeli civilians, some hitting a home, a children’s playground and a synagogue causing injuries. In response, the IDF launched its largest bombing campaign against Hamas since the 2014 Gaza war, hitting dozens of targets.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said that two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, were killed in one of the IDF strikes on Saturday, on a building that the Israel Defence Force (IDF) said was used by Hamas for urban combat training and was situated over a tunnel that led into a “massive” underground network in Gaza.
However, viewers of the Sunday morning news program were not provided with any of this context.
In a blatant display of bias against Israel and its right to defend its citizens from the incessant rocket attacks and fire-bomb kites that have been launched in the last few weeks, the ABC news presented the story as Israeli aggression of launching a “wave of air strikes against militant targets in the Gaza Strip”. At no stage does the ABC report allude to Israeli action as a response to Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacks.
This is a pattern all too familiar in the way the ABC reports events involving Israel.
AJA President Dr Adler said, “the ABC bias and distortion are now so extreme it could be regarded as a facilitator of terrorism by deflecting scrutiny from those targeting civilians with rockets and giving the impression this round of aggression was initiated by Israel.”
It is not acceptable for any legitimate news service to skew the news in a way that so distorts the context of what is being reported. It is even worse when it comes from the publicly funded, national broadcaster that preaches its own impartiality.
It is time for the government to directly intervene in the ABC.’
The Zionist Federation of Australia’s president Dr Danny Lamm agrees with the AJA sentiments saying “It is unquestionably true that the ABC did not provide context
Even FOX News channel erred in that its ticker reported the developments in reverse chronological order; first they went into detail about Israel’s active defence response, and only afterwards mentioned the Arab rocketing of Israel.
Many viewers would have been left with the impression that Israel had been the aggressor.
Yes many viewers would be left with the impression that Israel was the aggressor.
Reuters report on a “one day flareup” apparently unaware of, or perversely, using the word “flareup” while Israel has been burning for weeks.
What did other news outlets say as I dont watch morning TV?
As I write this Sunday Project is reporting similar news commentary as reported here about ABC News which I have not yet watched.
I assume Dr Adler is talking about the ABC in Australia rather that the one in the USA.
I wonder when the ABC’s fact check will be applied to this fake news coverage.
Only when the supporters, many of them Jewish , raise their voices in protest that hits at the organization’s hip pocket nerve might its leadership possibly listen.
Dr Gouttman,
The ABC sacred cow white elephant news department basks in the glow of detached complacency, knowing that the taxpaying citizens of Australia will continue to enable it to wend its wayward way to the detriment of their country.
we should look what’s happening now with the British Labour Party and not be complacent about anti Israel sentiment not being antisemitism. Well meaning left wing liberals just don’t know the facts and it’s dangerous for a highly regarded news service to report one sided inaccuracies.
The disgusting bias, which one can only put down to left wing racism, is just the latest reason the Jewish community should be advocating the sale of their ABC as soon as possible. ‘They’ can keep it and pay for it, we want nothing to do with it because we shouldn’t have anything to do with antisemitism. Advocating for Hamas or making Hamas look like anything but genocidal Jew haters, is antsemitism. And I don’t want my taxes to fund antisemitism.
It’s THEIR ABC. Sell it now.
Why has JWire placed the word “bias” inside inverted commas?
The ABC is Australia’s “Voice for Hamas,” so clearly it is biased.
Leon – it is alleged not necessarily fact so the quotation makes apply.
The same could be said about your quotation “Voice of Hamas” too.